TWO BRIGHT EXAMPLES Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion
Feb 23, 2011
With their acclaimed new album, it's truth-in-titling time for the country/folk duo.
BY NANCY DUNHAM
Think of Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion as living in something akin to a snow globe, where musical influences scatter down upon them.
As the daughter of Arlo and granddaughter of Woody, Sarah Lee has always embraced her royal folk heritage. After the two married, Johnny - well known in rock notably for Queen Sarah Saturday - joined in the family's folk endeavors through such projects as "The Guthrie Family Rides Again" tour and even riding with the family on a Thanksgiving Day float in last year's Macy's Day Parade.
"I've played loud versions of rock and roll and put out some solo records," says Irion, "This was a turning point for Sarah Lee and me."
Irion is referring to Bright Examples, the new album from the pair that some label as country rock, others label as alt-country and still others just call indie. Whatever the assigned musical genre, reviewers agree the songs - nine written by Irion, two by Guthrie and one written as collaboration - charmingly swirl the duo's many musical influences. That's just what the two were going for as they approached the album as a way to set a musical soundscape for their work together.
In a way it was a move from South Carolina to Massachusetts, near where Guthrie grew up, that prompted the pair to write what they now call the album they were always meant to record.
"We left South Carolina and I just started maniacally writing," Irion says. "At the end we had about 50 songs."
Some tunes, such as "Never Far From My Heart," are examples of Guthrie and Irion embracing a shared experience, while others ("Target on My Heart") are Irion's more solitary musings. Suffice to say the songs are richly textured, which is no doubt why U2 guitarist the Edge expressed interest in producing the album.
"I was thinking that the Edge has worked with [great producers and musicians] and learned from each of them," says Irion. "He was really interested but he's crazy busy right now and we didn't want to wait. I'm so glad he didn't [produce the album] because we ended up with all kinds of great stuff on this album we might not have gotten."
Although the stars didn't align to work with the Edge, Irion and Guthrie knew they wanted a producer who was also a player, not just a technician. The duo's creation process is quite organic, and producers who aren't players don't add a lot to the mix.
Enter the production dream team of Vetiver's Andy Cabic and Thom Monahan (who in addition to Vetiver has worked with Devendra Banhart and the Black Crowes' Chris Robinson), who had first introduced Sarah Lee and Johnny. Almost from the first time, Cabic and Monahan heard the 50 odd songs the duo sent them, the match seemed ideal.
"We sent [the songs] to Andy and Thom, and they wrote back and says, 'We have two records here. Here is the record we can make with you guys,'" says Irion. "I'm still looking forward to making that other record though."
Perhaps now more than ever, because of the magical process that surrounded the recording and production of Bright Examples.
"Thom is one of those guys, he is maniacal," Irion continues. "He is there and in the moment and if he thinks one way, you're going to have a hard time changing his mind. Thanks to him for that. We owe a lot of the way the record turned out to that."
Consider the track "Butterflies" that Irion and Guthrie had envisioned as an ethereal, floating tune: Monahan heard the song as something else and convinced them to record it with plenty of bluegrass sounds that the duo is convinced ultimately brought it to life
"It's one of those 'clean your palate' songs," says Irion. "It really works for the record." Guthrie agrees, noting that the entire process was an act of faith in many ways. "I am often of the thinking if there are too many chefs in the kitchen, it might come out fragmented," she says. "In a way, you have to sacrifice and learn from everything. That was the pool we were swimming in with Andy and Tom. We loved the experience and we learned a lot from these guys who make great music. That's why it sounds complete and beautiful."
Adding to the mix were flavors of several guests, including Gary Louris and Mark Olson of the Jayhawks who brought their own style of harmonies to the tune "Seven Sisters."
"Without the Jayhawks we wouldn't have Wilco," says Irion. "Those two, when you blend their vocals together it is like blending Sarah Lee and me. It just worked on that song and that's why you have something of a Jayhawks' feeling."
In fact, the entire album has the laid-back Laurel Canyon vibe of friends that are comfortable enough in their own musical skins to team together with such disparate instrumentation as lap steel guitar and Hammond organ and lovingly knit what seems to be a one-of-a-kind sound.
Irion says that it was the careful choosing of the producers, the guests, and others involved in the album that made the songs work. "It all harkens back to a great team. When you listen to all the great records, obviously, Paul McCartney made great records [as solo albums] but he also had to rely on a lot of other people to get there."
Many songs on the album were recorded live, resulting in a spine-tingling immediacy, such as when the vocals of Irion and Guthrie swirl together on the aforementioned "Seven Sisters." Take some Neil Young and a dab of Tom Petty, mix in touches of Tori Amos and Stevie Nicks, put in a dash of country - and you have Guthrie and Irion.
"This is a turning point, absolutely," says Guthrie, "We have been waiting for this for a long time, preparing for it. It's what we have always wanted to do. This has been the ultimate experience for me and now we'll take it from there."
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